Furlough scheme portal opens for claims on 20 April

HMRC have announced that the online Coronavirus job Retention Scheme service will open on 20 April with the first claims to be paid 10 days later. Future claims will be paid within four to six days.

Employers will access the system using their current government gateway logins.

As tax agents we will be able to file claims on behalf of our clients where we currently hold PAYE authorisation with HMRC. Payroll bureaus, without PAYE authorisation, will be unable to access the service, employers that use payroll bureaus will need to make the claim themselves or ask their tax agents/accountants to do so on their behalf.

HMRC will release further information this week on how the system will work, we will continue to update our website and social media as we know more.